I noticed in the media this week reports about two ladies who had opted to have liposuction as a means of controlling their body image. Sadly one lady died as a result of complications from the surgery. The other who also had breast reduction surgery regained all the weight she had lost and is now back to where she started.

What strikes me is the fact that both these women wanted to regain their figure following the birth of a child. Liposuction may be a solution for some women. I cannot say, I am not an expert. What I can say is that we are under increasing pressure to look perfect. We are surrounded by images of the perfect woman. The celebrity who looks perfect six weeks after giving birth is hailed as the ideal. Can we not even give ourselves time to enjoy a baby?  If appearance is what gives us validation in life then we are simply setting ourselves up for disappointment. We will be fighting this battle for the whole of our lives.

I believe in exercise and diet as a lifestyle choice. I believe it allows us to enjoy an active life maybe even to extend an active life. There is nothing wrong with a bit of glamour and fun and yes it is nice to fit into nice clothes. It is the search for the perfect body that is the problem. We have to begin to accept that it is the Hollywood image that is unnatural and not the rest of us.

Finally one sure way to begin to get back to your pre pregnancy shape is to breast feed. Not only does this stimulate your uterus to contract back to its original size but every pound your baby gains is a pound you do not gain yourself.